(Zenith) Pre-Purchase Inspections

A Pre-Purchase Inspection is a common and recommended practice for anyone buying an airplane. This evaluation brings in an independent third party to evaluate the airplane on any number of levels to establish a value of the airplane or aircraft, and t pick up on discrepancies and items that have been neglected or missed in prior inspections.  This is best performed by an experienced mechanic pilot and airplane owner. As a experienced Zenith builder, Flyer and licensed repairman Herman is very qualified to take care of this. You don't just want a part time guy to go through your investment and just check boxes on a check list. You want someone with experience maintaining that type of airframe who can focus their attention right away on the critical and problematic areas.  

 Call and let’s discuss the airplane you are considering buying. There is a lot to know, and we love to share what info we can to help you make an informed decision. We are glad to give you a half hour of time over the phone loaded with tips, tidbits, and things to know or consider. We are sure after a half hour phone call; you'll feel that Herman is the right guy for the job.

- This is hardly a hands-on inspection, but for $150 you may send as many pictures and logbook scans you have and based on what is provided, we will write up a list of any discrepancies noted that could potently be an issue or a concern. We can discuss by phone about it or we can write you a report. This is often the first step in seeing if proceeding with travel to a destination for further "in person” evaluation. 

- This inspection has you bring the airplane to our hangar at Cannon Creek (15FL) where we will send you off to lunch with a car to enjoy the immediate area, or you're encouraged to stay and look at the airplane with us! We will remove cowlings and various panels and look over the aircraft for general condition. Compression checks, oil sample, and a brief audit of logbooks will provide a generalized sense of what the aircraft issues may be, and what the aircraft may need. (Approx. 4 hours)

- Most of our evaluations are done this way. We spend a few hours to a few days looking the airplane over and making a general determination about the airplane, what it may need, and how much those repairs might cost. We will write a report outlining all the discrepancies noted, including minor ones and an estimate for repairing each item. This will aid you in your negotiations with the seller. Our objective is to keep the costs down as much as possible, and we stop looking once we find a deal breaker or expensive items to purchase, we'll work with you to make it right.

We do offer mobile service to your location. We typically charge shop rate for travel time; however, it is best to contact us by phone and we can sometimes make exceptions or reductions to this fee.

It is very important to know that an evaluation is just an evaluation! You are paying for an opinion of condition and value. It is NOT a fully encompassing inspection and a buyer is very likely to discover items down the road. It is foolish to think one guy can evaluate an airplane in its entirety in one or two days. The only way any mechanic / evaluator could catch all discrepancies and issues would be to restore the airplane! There are no warranties or guarantees issued or implied by hiring us or any other individual that performs an aircraft evaluation.

 
"The best money spent is on a plane that you DON'T buy!"